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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22572361">Exodus</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fericita/pseuds/Fericita'>Fericita</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>All Is Found [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Frozen (Disney Movies), Frozen 2 - Fandom</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Arranged Marriage AU, F/M, NO BOATS!, Roleswap, forced marriage au, no graphic descriptions of sexy married times but implied, stuck in the mist, they're both 20 when they first meet</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 10:01:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,593</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22572361</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fericita/pseuds/Fericita</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Agnarr and Iduna are forced to marry after his people attack the Northuldra and a magical mist seals off the Enchanted Forest from Arendelle.</p><p> </p><p>Thank you to The Spastic Fantastic for developing this world with me, where there are no boats and no trolls and maybe just maybe we can give them a happy ending.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Agnarr &amp; Iduna (Disney), Agnarr/Iduna (Disney)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>All Is Found [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1624150</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>49</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Exodus</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Agnarr stood in the kota, surrounded by Northuldra men he didn’t know.  Different from the ones he had seen in the preceding weeks. He winced as he realized the ones who had been closest to his father during the battle, the ones his father would have introduced him to during the week, were probably all dead by his hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tried not to flinch as they stripped him of his Arendellian coat, his boots, his sash. A welcome relief; all were bloodstained and muddy.  He’d been wearing them for days. The coat hadn’t even been his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wished the weight of his grief for the killing, the loss of life, and the heavy burden of truth that his father was a murderer could be so easily removed as well.  He had surrendered his sword already, thrown it down when his father demanded that he kill an unarmed woman. And when he cast it aside, he knew he was also throwing away any claim or desire for a throne either gained or held by the blood of the innocent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Someone brought in a bowl with water and a cloth, and directed him to wash.  He scrubbed at the two weeks’ worth of dirt that had settled onto his skin and opened up a few scabs as he did.  When he finished, the water was a muddy red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They gave him boots, a hat, and a coat made of reindeer hide. He supposed he should be grateful for their generosity and managed to say “Thank you,” but his voice cracked on the words and he wasn’t sure if they understood his language anyway.  Iduna had told him that only those involved in trade were usually fluent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was led out of the tent by two men, one on each side, holding him at the elbow with iron grips. They might not have had shackles here, but this was just as effective. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The somber faces that watched him as he passed and the uncharacteristic quiet made him feel even more nervous.  Like he was being led to his execution. He had thought he would be executed, after his father’s actions. But instead of demanding his blood, they had demanded his bond.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had tried to protest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t marry until I’m of age next year. When I’ll be twenty-one.” He didn’t know why he said it. Why would that law matter when all the rules were now different? When he was in a different country and his kingdom was unreachable because of the mist surrounding the wood?  Trapping them in and keeping the world out?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yelana had spoken to him in a commanding tone. He had no authority here and might not have authority ever again. “This is how you atone for the bloodshed by your father. You will make a new bond with our people. This is how we trust you will do us no harm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he walked out to where Iduna was waiting with Yelana by the firepit, he thought of his friend Elias’s wedding. Thea had been lovely in a long gown, her cheeks flush with excitement. Prior to the ceremony, Elias had paced with energy that seemed to shoot out of his fingertips; he had fiddled with his naval medals, fussed with the sword at his waist, and smoothed his hair so much that he’d flattened what was usually curly. Both of their families had been there as rings were exchanged and promises made and the castle grounds were transformed with garlands of flowers draped from every door and window and balcony and turret. Agnarr remembered laughter, joy, friends, and his father clapping his hand on his shoulder, saying “We’ll have an even greater celebration when you take your queen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But today, in the Nothuldra village, it was quiet and the only people he knew were the Arendellian soldiers dressed as he was, their uniforms gone. Captain Mattias, standing up but favoring one leg, caught his eye and nodded encouragingly. And he knew Iduna, if only a little. She kept her eyes away from his, and he watched as her hands clasped and unclasped in front of her. Though he didn’t know much about Northuldra, he recognized what she wore as the daily clothing of her people. They had not dressed her in festive clothing seen at the celebrations for the dam. He wondered if that was her choice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ceremony began in his native tongue. But Agnarr still did not understand what was happening.  His world no longer made sense. It was a lot like the sensation of being suddenly pulled into the air by the wind, blood rushing to his head, no sense of up or down or north or south.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But that had been a delightful befuddlement.  Meeting Iduna, and the rush of excitement he had felt at her smile, her kindness, her delight in her woods, had been a wonderful confusion as well. There was an undercurrent of fear now. </span>
  <em>
    <span>To be cast out is a death sentence, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she had told him as they said hurried goodbyes that morning, separated before the wedding ceremony. </span>
  <em>
    <span>They are sentencing us to death</span>
  </em>
  <span>.  </span>
  <em>
    <span>Just a different kind. It will take longer and our spirits won’t be nearby to seek vengeance for violence.  They think we’ll most likely starve in the winter. But that’s nature. They listen to nature. Their hands will be clean.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He held Iduna’s hands and wished his weren’t slick with sweat.  He wished he could give her a reassuring smile, but every thought was on keeping his voice even and his words from trembling as he repeated back the vows Yelana said to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where you go, I will go.  And where you stay, I will stay.  Your people will be my people and may the spirits and the land bind me to my promise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iduna’s voice was soft in her answering pledge. Her blue eyes stayed on his, but he wasn’t sure what to read there.  Was she despondent? Terrified? As confused as he was?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is my promise. This is my vow.”  He swallowed through the lump in his throat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yelana raised her hands. “Until such time as the mist lifts and the spirits return, you are cast out. You will find your own way. Be grateful for our mercy.” She looked at Agnarr and spoke to him directly. “This curse is upon us because of the actions of your father. But we do not take your death as payment. We take your life. You will live in order to right this wrong. You have my promise the soldiers of Arendelle will not be harmed. They are part of us now; your bond makes it so.  But should either of you return before the mist lifts, your lives are forfeit. Nature has deemed you unworthy to remain among the People of the Sun. You will sully us no more until you are forgiven for your transgressions.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Agnarr looked at Captain Mattias again and tried to say goodbye with his eyes and his smile. Mattias’s arm looked like he was attempting a salute, but he turned it into a wave. Agnarr was relieved.  He did not want Mattias to jeopardize his own safety with a sign of loyalty.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iduna was now hugging two women – perhaps her mother and grandmother. Agnarr heard the older one whisper something that sounded soothing in Iduna’s ear, but not the words that were spoken.  The younger one took Iduna’s face in her hands and said “This is not the end. Their anger will not burn brightly forever.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Agnarr wondered if she meant the spirits, the forest itself, or the Northuldra people.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now Lemek and two younger men were carrying bundled loads.  Agnarr recognized one of the bags as his own pack. They walked past Iduna and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. They each looked like her in a different way, and he realized the other two men must be her brothers as well. He knew from Iduna’s descriptions that Rueben was the shortest and Duvka was the one with her same wavy brown hair. Rueben smiled at her, and it too looked like Iduna’s smile. Not that he had seen her smile today.  Today, she was pale and her mouth was drawn in a tight line. Keeping words in and emotion out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The three men tied their loads to the sled and then walked past Iduna once more. As Lemek walked past Agnarr, he roughly knocked against his shoulder, hard enough to stagger him, and muttered, “If any harm comes to my sister, your death will be the most merciful part of what we do to you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then, they were alone. Everyone had retreated to their kotas or the outskirts of the village, and he and Iduna were alone with two reindeer, a sled, and whatever bounty had been loaded onto it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stood in silence for a moment, listening to the rhythmic breathing of the reindeer.  He shuffled his feet in the odd boots. He sighed. It was time to act like a man and not some confused child.  He bowed to her. “My lady. I mean, my wife.” He blushed and bowed again to hide his face for a moment. He cringed at his awkwardness and knew she must be as well. She was saying goodbye to everyone she had loved and everything she had ever known and he was unable to form a complete sentence. He supposed she was already regretting that she had ever saved him and bound her fate to his. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“May I help you into the sled?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iduna nodded and took his hand, her expression still flat and incomprehensible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took the reins and led the reindeer out of the village.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iduna noted the way he held the reins.  Incorrectly. Like he was riding a horse. He seemed to notice her gaze at his hands and fiddled with the reins, offering them to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Would you like to lead? I don’t actually know how to do this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded stiffly and took them.  The reindeer picked up their pace. They had a long ride until they made it to the northern caves and it would be better to get there before nightfall. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nightfall. She thought uneasily about what he might expect from her as newlyweds, unexpected as their circumstances were.  As her mother and grandmother had bathed her and dressed her earlier that morning, they reminded her that a wedding made two bodies one. He was a tall man with the strength of his size, and though she thought he seemed kind and gentle, she didn’t know him well.  She found that the fear of it, the anticipation of it, made it difficult to swallow, to blink, to hold the reins, to breathe, without that thought pressing her down and making her feel like the very air was buzzing. For a moment she thought the North Wind could be back, but it wasn’t quite the same gentle breeze. Her skin felt like its own entity and she could feel each hair on her arm. She shook her head, trying to clear it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry this happened to you. This can’t have been your choice for your future and I know that.”  He spoke in contrite, mournful tone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iduna turned to look in his eyes, even though she was afraid to see what she would find there. If she knew how she felt, it would be easier, but everything had happened so quickly.  How had they gone from meeting in the woods at what was supposed to have been a festive occasion to being cast out unceremoniously by her people to die slowly? How had he gone from being a prince to being an outcast?  From a stranger to a husband? She could see his regret in his bruised face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It wasn’t your choice either. I know that.” She looked away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The cave she brought them to was a day’s ride from the Northuldra village, close to where the Earth Giants had roamed. They unpacked the sled to find the makings of a tent, blankets, more clothes, some foodstuffs, tools, canteens, winter supplies, and a jug of something that made her eyes water when she sniffed it. The last gifts she would ever receive from her family.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe not the last gifts. Her grandmother had whispered in her ear that she would begin work on a shawl for the children Iduna would surely have.  That she was certain she would see them one day. Iduna’s cheeks heated as she thought of children and how making them was an activity married people usually enjoyed sooner rather than later.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She and Agnarr set about arranging their supplies and made a dinner out of the dried meat and berries. As they passed the jug back and forth, Iduna wondered if he felt as nervous as she did to be sitting together in a cave, very alone and newly married.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Agnarr cleared his throat “Before. Before my father killed your uncle. I thought. Maybe. You liked me?”  He winced. “I mean, you enjoyed being with me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iduna nodded. “I liked being with you. That day with the wind in the woods, I was glad I met you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Agnarr seemed to take courage from her answer and took a deep breath before he began again. “And do you think you could you love me? Not now, I mean. I know you don’t now. But if you don’t think you could ever, I don’t want to keep you here.  If not, I will return you to your people, take their punishment. I know they said our fates were bound, but I can’t imagine that they would force you to remain here if I was dead.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iduna stayed silent, so surprised at this offer that she didn’t know what to say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don't have to live like this. My father is the killer.  He is the one who caused this curse of mist and angered the spirits.  You should not bear the burden of his mistake, of my family’s shame.” He looked so despondent, so completely consumed with guilt that her heart felt full of affection. Whatever his father had been, there was no trace of it in him. She had no hesitation in her reply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think . . . I think yes.  One day I could love you.” She found his eyes with her own and they both smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Agnarr stood up quickly and went to their supplies, pulling out blankets and furs and arranging them into the semblance of a bed.  He found his pack and her shawl among the bundles and brought them over, sitting down beside her and wrapping the shawl around her. He squeezed her shoulders and put his arm around her, drawing her close.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think I will love you. Soon. And when you love me and I love you, that’s when we’ll really be husband and wife. And until then I’ll ask nothing of you except that you teach me how to be a proper Northuldra husband. How to hunt and trap and fish and prepare food, and whatever else I need to know. Can you teach me that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iduna leaned onto his shoulder, accepting this gift of time, this offer of patient love. “Yes, I can.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He reached into his pack and took out a leather pouch. “I brought my official dress for the dam ceremony, which I can’t imagine will be of much use here.  But this ring is part of that as well.” He held up a gold ring with the stamped image of a crocus on it. It was small, like it had been made for his smallest finger. “In Arendelle the men give women rings at the wedding. Most of the ceremony today was unfamiliar to me, and I thought...if I could give you this, if you would wear it, it would feel to me like we were really married. I want to show you that I will learn how to take care of you. I want to give you a sign of my promise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She opened her hand, palm up, to accept the ring but he took her hand and turned it, sliding the ring onto her finger. ‘Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took her hand and kissed it, and then held it as he brought it down to her side. She liked the feel of his hand, the cool sensation of the ring, and the blooming in her chest that was giving her hope that they could survive this, together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They slept under blankets and furs, and feeling the warmth and the weight of his body next to hers gave Iduna a contented feeling. Sleeping huddled next to him was already beginning to feel normal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iduna looked at Agnarr’s attempt at a fishing net and laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That looks like the work of a ten-year-old!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Agnarr laughed and replied. “I’m trying to copy yours.” He looked up and brushed the hair out of his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iduna noticed how it was growing longer, and before she even thought about it, she reached over and tucked it behind his ear.  Her fingertips brushed against the fine, light-colored hair that was growing on his face, the beginnings of a beard.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He blushed and ducked his head.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe. Or maybe it’s that you’re not a great teacher.” When he looked up, she saw that he was teasing, and smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m a wonderful teacher.  I think it’s you. Your fingers are as unused to work as a princess’ and your hands are as soft as a baby’s.”  She wiggled her fingers at him. “And you know about as much as a duckling on its first day out of the shell.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Agnarr laughed again. “I’m not that different from a princess, really. And I know a lot! Just not about anything helpful right now. ”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh? What do you know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, how to negotiate trade deals.  How to sail. How to ride a horse, faster even than my friend Elias who is quite good.  Which rooms in the castle are best to hide in if you want to read a book. How to speak and write in several languages, none of which are yours. Which fork to use at dinner so as not to embarrass Lady Wollen. How to waltz. And I was learning to play the lute, but alas, my fingers are as unused to work as a princess’.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, well, that will certainly be useful for our life here together!” Iduna said and hoped that her words still sounded light.  That she didn’t sound bitter about being with him, about having to make a life together in this place both wild and unknown to him. Because, although they had to work hard every day to survive, although it was getting colder each night and although the cloudberries were scarcer and the game getting harder to trap, she surprised herself every day at how much she liked being here with him. She had told him being cast out from one’s tribe was a death sentence. But they were, against the odds, surviving and it had begun to feel like the gift of a new life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Victory! I got one!” Agnarr held up the long wooden spear that Iduna had taught him to make, a small fish impaled onto the bottom. His trousers were rolled up to the knees and he was standing in the river, Iduna shouting encouragement from the bank. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well done! We’ll be feasting better than the bears!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Agnarr looked up, startled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I didn’t mean there are bears. They don’t usually come out this way. We’re safe.” She considered the river, the warm day, and the way the river was shallow enough to stand, no rapids and a slow current. “This is a good spot for a bath. I can go get some clothes for us to change into. It would be nice to get clean. Do you want to go first?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Agnarr looked at her and his expression seemed even more terrified than when he thought there might be bears about. She tried to reassure him. She supposed bathing in a river wasn’t something a prince usually did. “I’ll keep watch for you if you prefer; I don’t have to go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Agnarr’s voice cracked and he cleared his throat, repeating himself. “No. You go, I’ll start scrubbing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she returned a while later, she stayed still and quiet on the riverbank, watching as he scooped water onto his back and ran his hands through his hair. His shirt was off, but the rest of his clothes were still on. She laughed without meaning to and he turned at the sound.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you take baths with clothes on in Arendelle?” she teased.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We take baths indoors. And not usually in the presence of others.” He was smiling, head down and avoiding her eyes.  She handed him the clean shirt she had brought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m your wife. Not a stranger.” Their hands touched as he took the shirt, and even though his fingers were cool from the river, the feel of them sent heat through her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m clean enough. Your turn now, and I promise not to peek.” He walked past her, picking up the spear. He sat facing away from the river, and she wondered at her disappointment that he seemed to be completely ignoring her as she took off her clothes. And she wondered when she had started to think of herself as his wife, instead of thinking of him as a stranger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He awoke gasping and sat up so suddenly that Iduna was pulled from sleep at the rush of cold air made as his body and the blankets moved.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you all right?” she rubbed her eyes and saw him do the same.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, I was just remembering. The battle. My father. But it felt real in the dream.  Like it was happening again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sat up as well, cradling him in her arms, stroking his hair away from his face like she had with her baby nephews when they fussed. She found the spot on his forehead that had opened and bled as they fled the battle, the new skin soft under her fingers, the outer edges rough. She remembered the blood and the sight of it striking fear in her heart, his helplessness and terror.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re alright.  We’re safe here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head, still somewhat frantic from the dream, the memory. “We’re not safe here.  You said this was a death sentence. Am I leading you to your death?” He pulled away from her embrace and looked at her, his eyes wild with worry and conviction. “I will not be a murderer like my father. We’ll go back.  We haven’t been together as man and wife. They’ll take you back. I know they will. I’ll take their punishment. I’ll not be a murderer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iduna put her hands on his face, stroking her thumbs over his cheekbones, feeling the beard that had grown in, trying to soothe his worry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am fine. We are safe. What has been meant for our harm has turned into a blessing.” She murmured it over and over again, until it seemed that he had heard her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His eyes were less frantic and the rest of his body had stilled; she could feel him growing heavy with sleepiness again. She kept talking, whispering now in his ear. “We are safe. We are finding food, we are healthy, and each day…” She pulled on him and he lay down with her, and she saw that his breath was even and his eyes were closed. “Each day I think I fall a little bit in love with you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She leaned into him, wondering if he felt the same, or if his weight of responsibility for their situation would forever prevent him from allowing himself to love her in return. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could teach you. If you’d like. If you don’t know how, I mean.” Agnarr had been reading his book of Danish fairy tales aloud, his back against a tree trunk, Iduna pressed against his legs while weaving a basket out of the tall grasses. She turned around to look at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know how. And yes, I would like to learn to read in your language. And…there’s something else I want you to teach me too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh? Shall I make us some forks to teach you Arendellian dining etiquette?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.”  She drew out the word, giving him a look.  “But I do want to learn the waltz. My brothers talked about seeing it on their trip to Arendelle. That it was strange and lyrical.  Different from our dances but beautiful in its own way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Agnarr nodded, already anticipating the feel of her waist in his hand, his hand in hers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So.  First I bow to you,” Agnarr bent over at the waist, affecting a formal voice and saying “My lady.” He took her hand in his, brushed it with his lips and then straightened again. She hoped her blush wasn’t visible in the light of the fire. She couldn’t seem to stop her body reacting to him in ways that surprised her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now you curtsy to me, which will be hard without a dress but you can manage I’m sure.” He put his arms out to the side, hands clenched as if holding a full skirt and they both laughed.  His imitation of a lady wearing a gown and curtsying seemed especially funny with the rustle of leaves for music and the dirt by the opening of their cave for a ballroom floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And now I put my hands here, at your waist,” Iduna’s breath hitched at the touch, but he continued as if he hadn’t heard.  “And here, my hand in your hand.” Iduna thought about their wedding, how they had clasped hands and repeated words without a choice. Would she say those same words now on her own?  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We hold them out like this, and I pull you in close to me.” He pulled her close and suddenly, she was looking right into his shoulder, inches from his face.  She could feel his breath near her cheek and she felt a shiver at the sensation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As long as you can count to three, you can waltz. I’ll lead, you follow.” Agnarr started the count and pushed on her waist a bit to help her find the direction to go in.  She joined him in counting, and then after a few steps he started humming a tune to her counts of three and their dance. She liked the buzzing feel of his voice through her hand on his shoulder and smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They took a few turns around the fire, and then he was turning her and spinning her faster and faster in circles. She could smell the sweat on him from their efforts cutting wood for the fire, and wondered if his lips would taste salty with it. She thought about how his hair might feel today, now that it wasn’t damp from a nightmare. She must have been thinking too much because instead of continuing their spins around the fire, she tripped over a tree root and fell down, taking him with her.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took his hand off of her waist to brace her head before it hit the earth, and ended up sprawled on top of her, their other hands still clasped together. His wide hazel eyes were barely a hand’s breadth from hers, and the weight of him on top of her felt oddly wonderful, but he scrambled off of her almost immediately, spluttering an apology.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry! Are you alright?” He stood and then helped her to her feet, brushing leaves off of her and picking a few out of her hair. “We don’t have as many hazards in the ballroom in terms of things to trip over, though I did see Lady Tunde’s dress catch on fire once when she was too close to the Yule Log.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iduna laughed, putting a hand to her chest.  She felt oddly out of breath. The dancing had been fun, but not strenuous.  Why was she reacting so?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you have many waltzing partners at the castle?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiled  “A few.” He bowed again, straightened, and put his hand out once more. “But none so lovely as you. Would you like to try again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quieter! You sound like a reindeer in mating season!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My feet are bigger than yours! And it’s hard to be silent among all of these dead leaves!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A rabbit ran at the sound of their voices and Agnarr’s footsteps, but Iduna’s arrow loosed at the right time to fell it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I suppose I can follow you around like a hunting dog, flushing out beasts from their homes, into your steady and sure arrow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Iduna laughed. “I’d prefer you learn to just be quiet when you want to be.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why be quiet? I have a perfectly wonderful huntress who can catch all the game I can eat!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He reached for her and tried to approximate a waltz, the bow in her hand still between their hands. She shrugged him off, still laughing.  “We better get this rabbit picked up before a wolf claims it. But yes, more waltzing tonight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He smiled and she felt regret that she would have to wait until the evening for his touch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But a mermaid has no tears and, therefore, she suffers so much more.” The words were sad, but Iduna smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes! You did it! You’re reading! On your own! I knew you could!” Agnarr hugged her tightly, lifting her off of her feet and spinning her around.  As he set her back down, she had the urge to lean in and kiss him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So she did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was wet and his lips were warm. All of her body grew warm at the touch. She began to pull away, but he pressed forward, deepening the kiss. He could taste the cloudberries on her tongue, but the scent of her this close was making him react in a way he wasn’t sure she was ready for. So he pulled away and touched his forehead to hers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well I think that settles it. I’m a much better teacher than you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh?” her response was breathy, her heart still pounding and the blood rushing in her ears making it difficult to hear what he was saying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, you learned to read much quicker than I’m learning to hunt, or trap, or skin, or cook, or gather. Really, it’s too bad you can’t learn how to teach from how wonderful I am at imparting wisdom.” He leaned in for a quick kiss and then pulled away to her look of surprised amusement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That one, yes. That’s boska.  Pull it up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Agnarr grunted with the effort of balancing himself so close to the river’s edge. The plant itself came up easily, and he proudly showed it to Iduna. “Got it! How many do you want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As many as you see down there. We can use it to stay healthy this winter; it’s coming on fast. Bring it up when you finish and I’ll check you’ve got the right stems. I’ve found some cloudberries over here. I thought we’d already seen the last of them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he brought up the basket full of boska, she felt each stem and pronounced it a perfect harvest. As they walked back to their cave, he took her basket and reached for her hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On the walk back, the air felt colder than it had been.  As she shivered, he moved his hand from hers to put it around her shoulder to draw her close. They walked into the cave and he began to stoke the fire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Here.” She handed him a stem of boska. “This is a delicacy. The root we can cook, but taste this stem and how delicious it is. And just one stem will keep you from illness.  So says Anja and she knows everything about healing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He watched her peel back the outer stem and eat it. He was transfixed by her mouth, by the look of pleasure on her face, and the joy with which consumed it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She paused in her eating and looked up. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you. You are kind and smart and have so much patience for me.  And I don’t know how you could ever love me when I’ve kept you from your home and your family, but it’s true.  I love you. And it’s alright if you don’t love me now. But I love you and I want you to know. “</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She swallowed and took his hand. “I love you too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His smile was so bright that she thought of the sun suddenly appearing after a cloudy day, of the fire spirit suddenly lighting a branch into a torch. And she felt that fire down to her toes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So when he gently lifted her off of her feet carrying her the way the grooms in his fairytale books carried their brides, she was ready for what came next. She was eager for what came next. He had her heart and she had his. They had become each other’s people, each other’s worlds. And they had both become good at teaching and at learning and at listening to each other. She thought that it was a good thing they had gathered and stored so much for the winter. This cave and this man were all she wanted to see for a great long while.</span>
</p>
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